Cougar shot after killing dog west of Twisp

A dog was killed last week when a cougar attacked it outside a home about two miles up Twisp River Road.

The attack occurred about 11 p.m. on March 5, said Capt. Chris Anderson, regional enforcement supervisor for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The dog’s owner heard a commotion outside and discovered a cougar attacking his 6-year-old German Shepard. “He threw a lawn chair and some two-by-fours at the cougar,” Anderson said.

The cougar finally dropped the dog and ran away, but the dog had died. Anderson said the owner placed the dog’s body under a porch until he could bury it, but the cougar returned during the night and dragged it away.

On March 7, wildlife officers using hounds tracked the cougar, which was treed and shot, Anderson said.

Seven cougars have been shot by wildlife enforcement officers in the Methow Valley since December following attacks on domestic animals. At least five dogs have been attacked, including a dog killed on Christmas day.